DIY Soda Syrups

You won't believe the explosion of fresh fruit and herb flavors in our DIY soda syrups. No cooking required, just steep a few ingredients in water overnight, strain, then store in the fridge to mix with club soda.

Rosy Stone Fruit Sangria

We raided both the fruit bowl and the liquor cabinet for this sparkling make-ahead party drink, marrying citrus and stone fruits with brandy, orange liqueur and rosé wine. (You can use either a sweet wine, such as White Zinfandel, or a more dry variety, like a French or Spanish import.)

Any-Fruit Agua Fresca

Strawberry Water

This water tastes just like drinking a strawberry — with no colors, flavorings or added sugar.

Next time you cook with strawberries, skip hulling (carefully excising the leaves and cores with the tip of a paring knife), and just slice the tops right of, catching a big of fruit with the leaves. (Make sure the strawberries have been well-washed.) From there, the method isn't too scientific: Put a cup of water (or so ) of the strawbery tops in a quart (or so) of water in the refrigerator for a couple of hours (or up to overnight). Then strain it. The result: all-natural, rosy-hued, strawberry-flavored water. For a twist, add sprigs of mint or basil along with the strawberry tops.

Honeyed Lemonade Tea Punch

Using Darjeeling tea imparts floral notes beyond what you find in ordinary black tea, which makes it a more interesting base for this refreshing, honey-laced drink. Keep the punch virgin, or add a tablespoon of vodka, gin or bourbon to each glass.

Watermelon Lemonade

Here's a new take on a summer staple, lemonade. Combine homemade lemon syrup with watermelon juice and serve with fun Kiwi Cubes or Watermelon Cubes (or with regular ice cubes). You can also use the watermelon-lemonade mix as the base for a Watermelon Martini.

Cucumber White Sangria

Citrus Liqueur

Have you heard of limoncello? You can make the classic Italian liqueur with almost any citrus fruit. (Only lime doesn't work.) Serve the chilled liqueur with sparkling water, sip it chilled alongside chocolate truffles or try drizzling it over strawberries for a boozy pound cake topper.

Radish Lemonade

You read that right! Radishes turn this tangy homemade lemonade a soft pink color, and they lend a faint, garden-fresh flavor—similar to the taste of cucumber slices in water. In fact, we added cucumber slices as well, as a perfect summer garnish.

Green Tea Soda

Brew this refreshing drink with green, ginkgo or ginseng tea mixed with honey. When the liquid cools, stir in your choice of fruit juices, such as orange or tangerine and lemon or lime. Add assorted fresh fruit and plain or flavored sparkling water just before serving.

Sparkling Berry Lemonade

This fizzy pink drink is a kid-friendly, real-fruit alternative to bottled pop. For an adults-only version, add two tablespoons of rum, tequila or citrus-infused vodka to each serving or 1 to 1 1/4 cups to the batch.

Spiced Coffee and Cream Sipper

Blend spiced coffee with chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla or coffee ice cream for a smooth drink that's served like a milk shake. Garnish with whipped cream, chocolate curls, a sprinkle of cocoa powder or a chocolate-covered espresso bean.

Sunrise Smoothie

Horchata

Traditionally, this sweet drink is made by soaking rice (and sometimes blanched almonds, too) overnight in water, then pureeing and straining the mixture. We kept the seductively sweet, authentic taste, but skipped the drawn-out process. Our shortcut version uses purchased rice milk, and we could barely tell it apart from the real deal in side-by-side tests.

Raspberry Cheesecake Shake

Iced Cocoa

You don't have to set aside hot cocoa comfort in the summer just because the temperature climbs. We mixed up a cocoa concentrate, then added ice, flavorings and whipped topping or ice cream to create a comfort cooler.

Mock Margarita

Frozen limeade, grapefruit juice and orange juice make a low-calorie mocktail that tastes like a margarita without the alcohol. Add salt or sugar to the rim and garnish with a lime wedge for the full effect.

Summerberry Cooler

A refreshing blend of berry, apple and citrus juices makes for a delicious sipper that's light on calories. Pierce the berries to ensure juice release. This drink can also be spiked with vodka or light rum for an adult beverage.